Ornamental toe reenforcement for



May 28, 1935. G. GASTRICH 2,002,838

I ORNAMENTAL TOE REENFORCEMENT FOR STOCKINGS Filed Jan. 25, 1953 El. E- ...'l'

FlE- E FiE- r1 INVENTOR:

GusZZw flick;

ATTORNEY.

' Patented May 28, 1935.

UNITED STATES ORNAMENTAL TOE BEENFORCEMENT FOR STOCKINGS Gustav Gastrich, Wyomissing, Pa., assignor to Textile Machine Works,.Wyomissing, ha, a corporation of Pennsylvania R E u E D Application January 25, 1933, Serial No. 653,358

3 Claims. "(01. 66-182) I This invention relates 'to full fashioned stockings, and particularly to stockings of the type having an extra reenforced or plated area in the center of the toe portion for strengthening the stocking'and providing a wear-resistant surface at that point.

The block -in-toe reenforcement heretofore generally employed is .knit' by the use of splicing blocks in the well known manner, and ends at or near the instep portion of the stocking with a generally rectangular or square outline, the sides of the reenforcement being parallel to each other for the entire height thereof, the upper end of which is square topped. This line of meeting between the block-in-toe reenforcement and the surrounding foot portion of the stocking has an unsightly appearance, causing the toe to appear broad and thick, which has a prejudicial effect on the prospective purchaser, and also con- 2o spicuous when the stocking is worn with sandals or slippers of the open work or low cut type now I commonly used.

In all reenforcing of the foregoing type, the quantity of thread and material per unit area is increased, ,and therefore in a stocking having a reenforcement qf the block-in-toe type the clasticity of the toe portion is appreciably reduced, so that. unless the toe portion is made unduly large a binding effectispresent which prevents freedom of movement of the toes with the attendant' discomfort when the stocking is worn. Anpbject of the invention is to produce a stocking in which the above detrimental features are eliminated, and having a reenforced toe portion which meets the surrounding foot portion in lines adapted to give a slenderizing effect to the toe, which may be produced in a variety of pleasing designs, and to produce a toe pocket of variableelasticity from the tip of the pocket toward the 0 instep.

Another object is to increase the elasticity of the reenforced toe portion of a stocking, so that the toe portion may be made sufliciently narrow to present a pleasing appearance and to closely conform to the foot, and yet permit freedom of 15 control mechanism commonly employed for conthe claims.

trolling the plating carriers used in knitting other portions of the stocking.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent from the following detailed.

description of-several illustrative embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing, my invention resides in the novel stocking structure and method of making the same, as hereinafter more particularly pointed out in t In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective front view of a full fashioned stocking havinga reenforced toe portion in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the stocking foot of Fig. 1;

Fig.- 3 is a cross-sectional view of the plated toe portion taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view of a toe reenforcement of different design; a

Fig; 5 is a view of the under side of the toe portion showing a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a view of a toe reenforcement connected by split seams to the adjoining foot portion; 25

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional viewof the split seam reenforcement taken along the line 1-1 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 shows another form of toe reenforcement;

Fig. 9- illustrates an additional form of toe reenforcement; and I i Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view. of the reenforcement taken-along the line l0l0 of Fig. .9'.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is showna full fashioned stocking having a Welt |,leg portion I2, 35 instep l3, heel portion ll, foot l5 and toe portion l6. Preferably, and as shown, the outline of the foot I5 is defined by a curved line i8 to give the foot portion a pleasing appearance, commonly referredto as a cradle foot design. The foot is narrowed as at l9, preferably in a manner 7 to give the well known diamond point toe efiect. In the specific embodiment shown, the foot por-' tion of the stocking is reenforced throughout by a reenforcing or plating yarn and therefore com- 45 prises two yarns, although it will be understood that the reenforced foot portion may comprise a singlewear-resistant yam of heavier weight than that of the leg and instep portions.

In order to further reenforce the toe of the' stocking thereby to provide greater wearing quality where the strain and wear on the stocking is most severe, the fact has an additional toereenforcement ll. Referring to Fig. 2,. the reenforcement I1 is shown as composed of successive courses of plating yarn interknit with the reenforced foot portion, the ends of the courses of the plated area I! defining divergent curved lines 23 inclined to the wales and courses of the surrounding foot portion of the stocking, the toe reenforcement being relatively narrow at its upper portion 2| nearest the instep and gradually increasing in width to the widest part 22 of the reenforcement, thus forming a generally triangular shaped figure with the apex of the triangle adjacent the instep. It will be understood that the shade lines representing the convex surface of .the reenforcement I! extend walewise pf the stocking, whereas the courses of the reenforcement extend transversely or coursewise of the stocking. .From the point 22 the remaining courses of the reenforcement I! are of the same stocking. The effect of the curved outlines 23- the toe reenforcement performs the utilitarian purpose of strengthening the stocking at the toe without detracting from the appearance of the stocking; in fact, the contour of the toe reenforcement produces an ornamental and slenderizing eifect and enhances the appearance of the also harmonizes with the curved outline l8 of the instep and thereby produces an overall'pleasing effect in the foot portion. As shown by Fig. 3 the plated area I! forms an integral part of the toe portion Hi. The ornamental effect of the toe reenforcement may. be enhanced by knitting this area from a yarn of a different color, or from a yarn of different weight or having other distinguishing characteristics, with respect to the yarn of the surrounding foot portion.

By reason of the tapering form of the toe reenforcement H, the area of the toe portion to which the plating is applied is materially decreased, and therefore the inelastic area is substantially reduced. The elasticity of the toe portion is thus appreciably increased, so that the toe portion may be made to closely conform to the foot and still permit freedom of movement of the toes with the resulting increase in foot comfort when the stocking is worn. In other words, there is a bandlike zone or area coursewise about the toe portion of the foot, which, by reason of the rearwardly converging tapered reenforcing, or less flexible, toe tip area l1, and the forwardly converging tapered more flexible areas at each side are inclined to the wales and courses of the fabric,

and this further increases the elasticity of the toe portion, and prevents or relieves stresses set up in or adjacent to the line of meeting of the toe reenforcement with the adioining areas of the other similar type of machinefemploying a yam carrier stop control attachment for arresting in certain courses the travel of selected yarn carriers at different points intermediate the selvedge edges of the stocking, and commonly used, for example, in the production of various fancy heel designs. Mechanisms of the type suitablefor the purpose and their manner of operationare' chain mechanism, the attachment being provided with a two needle movement in either direction, so that any of the forms shown herein may be produced thereby. I

In knitting the stocking, the reenforced selvedge attachment on the footer operates in the well known manner to automatically rack stop members to different positions in predetermined courses to vary the travel of a plating yarn carrier .on each side of the instep in such manner as to form the cradle foot outline I8 of the stocking. As the end of the instep portion is reached, one of the plating carriers is taken out of action, and

the other plater is caused to traverse the entire width of the foot, along with the main yarn car-. rier. At the desired distance from the'end of the instep, a plating carrier for the toe reenforcement H is put into action, and the right and left narrowing nuts on the reversely threaded spindle of the reenforced selvedge attachment, and the carrier stops controlled thereby, are racked to the proper position to give the desired length of the initial course 21 which determines the width of the upper part of the toe reenforcement. Usually, upon completion of the instep portion, the narrowing nuts and carrier stops controlled thereby are racked out to a position such that substantially no racking, or racking a slight distance only, of the narrowing nuts is required to give the proper position of the stops for beginning the toe reenforcement, and any such ad? justment necessary may be automatically obtained by the pattern chain motion, or may be performed manually, as desired.

The plating carrier used for the toe reenforcement has two stops thereon which coact with associated stops of the reenforced selvedge attachment to determine the, width of the reenforcement as outlined bythe divergent lines 23,

and the stops are racked inwardly in successive courses, or in selected courses, as determined by the usual pattern chain motion, the two needle movement obtainable with the attachment causing the travel of the plating carrier to increase in certain courses, thereby causing the courses of the plated area to progressively increase in length, so that the width of the toe reenforcement is progressively increased until at the point 22 itattains its greatest width. It will be understood, however, that any desired number of courses of the same length may be obtained, or that selected courses may be decreased in length with respect to adjacent courses, in order to enable any desired outline or contour of the toe reenforcement to be produced. One of the advantages of knitting the toe reenforcement in the foregoing manner is that when the part 22 of greatest width is reached, the narrowing nuts and associated stops of the reenforced selvedge attachment have been automatically racked in by the pattern chain motion to approximately the proper position to begin tion herein described and hereinafter claimed.

the plated portions of the foot of the next stocking blank to be knit on' the machine, and therefore do not have to be manually racked a considerable distance to the proper position, as heretofore.

Fig. 4 shows a toe reenforcement Ila in which the platingcourses between the points 25 and 26 progressively increase in length to give a convex outline 21.

Fig. 5 is a view of the bottom of the toe portion of a modification in which the toe reenforcement ll is extended to the foot seam 28 to give an additional plated area 29 adjacent the toe seam- Fig. 6 shows a modified form of the inventionin which the toe reenforcement 3| is composed of one or more wear resistant yarns connected to the adjacent toe portion l6 by means of split seams 34, which may be either of the open split or closed split type known in the art, and maybe automatically produced by the reenforced selvedge attachment above described. In the particular form shown, the upper end of the insert 3| meets the line H! of the cradle foot, the courses of the reenforcement progressively increasing in length to the point 32 to produce the curved lines 34'; between the point 32 and the end of the toe the courses are preferably of the same length.

Fig. 8 shows another form of the invention in which the split seams which define the reenforcement 3la have a stepped formation 35, and the curvature of the cradle foot outline [8a is con tinued until it meets the upper part of the toe reenforcement, so that the narrowing nuts of the reenforced selvedge attachment have been racked out at this point to the position required for beginning the toe reenforcement.

Figs. 9 and 10 show a toe reenforcement 31 outlined by lace openings, preferably picot holes 38, thereby to enhance the ornamental effect of the reenforcement. Since the picot holes shown are formed by transferred or laterally displaced stitches, the same increase the flexibility and elasticity of the toe portion. The lace openings and described by which I obtain the above results may be changed and modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the inven- I claim:

1. A full fashioned sheer-knit stocking, comprising a foot portion including an instep and a toe pocket having in its top area a plurality of coursewise opposed substantially triangular flexible areas each convergingly tapered walewise of the stocking toward the pocket tipv and an area between said areas at the. top of the pocket constituting a relatively inflexible separatethread substantially triangular shield having a coursewise side adjacent to the pocket tip and its other sides along the respective adjacent sides of the flexible areas, said areas together with the sides and bottom of the pocket in the coursewise zone thereof constitutinga band-like element about the toe portion of the stocking foot of gradually increasing flexibility around the band from said tip toward the instep.

2. A full fashioned sheer-knit stocking comprising a foot portion including an instep and a toe pocket, and means for reenforcing the pocket and gradually increasing the flexibility of the pocket as reenforced around the pocket from the tip toward the instep and rendering the reenforced area of substantially minimum quantity of yarn in accordance with a predetermined width aifiacent to the tip, comprising a plurality of coursewise opposed substantially triangular flexible areas at the top of the pocket each convergingly tapered walewise of the stocking toward the pocket tip and an area between said areas at the top of the pocket constituting a relatively inflexible separate-thread substantially triangular shield having a side along a course adjacent to the pocket tip and its other sides along the respective adjacent sides of the flexible areas.

3. A full fashioned sheerknit stocking comprising an instep, a two-thread foot portion, and a toe pocket, and means for reenforcing and gradually increasing the flexibility of the pocket around the foot from the tip of the pocket toward the instep and rendering the reenforcing area of substantially reduced quantity of yarn consistent with a predetermined width adjacent to the pocket tip, comprising a plurality of coursewise opposed substantially triangular. areas extending walewise of the stocking toward the pocket tip and an area between said areas at the top of the pocket constituting a relatively inflexible tertiary-thread substantially triangular shield having a coursewise side adjacent to the pocket tip and its outer sides along the respective adjacent sides of the flexible areas.

, GUSTAV GASTRICH. 

